.922 C R E 
of a conqueror. The Delphians, who expefted no 
mercy from a man devoid of refpeCl for religion, pi'e- 
pared tliemfclves in filent horror for beholding the com¬ 
plicated guilt of facrilege and murder. But Philoinelus 
declared that he had come to Delphi with no hoftile 
difpofition againfl the inhabitants, with no facrilegious 
defigns againfl: the temple. His principal motive was 
to emancipate the one and the other from the arbitrary 
controul of the Amphiftyons, and to aflert the ancient 
and unalienable prerogative of Phocis to be the patron 
and protedtor of the Delphian flirine. To the fame 
purpole he fcattced declarations through the different 
republics of Greece; his emiflaries acquainted the 
Spartans that he had deflroyed the brazen tablets con¬ 
taining the unjuft decrees againfl Sparta and Phocis; 
they inflamed the relentment of the Athenians, natu¬ 
rally hoftile to Thebes ; and both thole republics came 
to the refolution of fupporling the meafures of Philo- 
melus. 
The Thebans, on the other hand, who diredted, and 
the Locrians, Thelfalians, and other flates, who obeyed, 
the decrees of the Amphidtyons, determined to take 
the field in defence of their infulted religion. Their 
operations were condudted with that extreme flownefs 
natiiral to confederacies. Philomelus adted with more 
vigour. He colledfed above ten thoufand mercenaries, 
who facrificed all Icruples of religion to tlie hopes of 
dividing a rich fpoil. He firft proceeded to fortify the 
temple and city of Delphi, in which he placed a ftrong 
garrifon ; and, with the remainder of his forces, boldly 
inarched forth to repel the incurfions of the enemy. 
During two years, hoflilities were carried on with va¬ 
rious fortune againfl the Locrians and Thebans. Vic¬ 
tory for the mofl part inclined to the Phocians; but 
there happened not any decifive adtion, nor was the war 
memorable on any other account but that of the excef- 
iive cruelty mutually inflidted and fuffered. The Pho- 
cian prifoners were uniformly condemned to death, as 
TTretches convidted of the mofl abominable facrilege; 
and the refentment of their countrymen retaliated with 
equal feverity on the unhappy captives whom the chance 
of war threw into their hands. As both armies ex. 
pedted reinforcements, they were unwilling to rifk a ge¬ 
neral engagement. Entangled, however, among the 
woods and mountains of Phocis, the conveniency of fo¬ 
rage attradfed both towards the fame point. The van¬ 
guards met unexpedfedly near the town of Neone, and 
began to fltirmifli. A general and fierce adtion followed, 
in which the Phocians were repelled by fuperior num¬ 
bers. l^ithlefs woods, abrupt rocks and precipices, ob- 
ftrudled their retreat. In vain Philomelus flrove with 
his voice and arm to rally the fugitives. He himfelf 
was carried along to the brink of a precipice, afllidfed 
with wounds, and Hill more with anguifh and defpair. 
“The enemy advanced upon him ; it feemed impoflible 
to efcape their vengeance ; the refolution of Philome¬ 
lus was prompt and terrible; with a vigorous bound he 
fprang from the rock, thus eluding the torment of his 
own mind, and the refentment of his purfuers. While 
the Thebans and their allies admired this fpedlacle as a 
manifeft indication of divine vengeance, Onomarchus, 
the lieutenant and brother of the Phocian general, col- 
leded and drew off the fcattered remains of the van. 
quifhed army towards Delphi. The confederates de¬ 
termined to expel them from that facred place, and to 
infliT on them a punilhment fimilar to that to which the 
wrath of Apollo had driven the impious Philomelus. 
Different caufes had concurred to prevent Philip on 
•^he one hand, and Athens and Sparta on the other, 
from taking an early part in the Phocian war. The in- 
tere.fled policy of Archidamus, who directed with abfo- 
lute authority the councils of Sparta, vvas lefs anxious 
to lupport the arms of his diflant confederates, than fo. 
licitous to recover the Lacedaemonian dominion in Pe- 
ioponnefus. The opportunity feemed favourable for 
E C E. 
this purpofe, the Thebans being deeply engaged in anew 
ther conteft, and the Athenians in flrifl: alliance with 
Sparta. For feveral years the arms of Archidamus 
were employed againfl the Meffenians, Arcadians, and 
Argives. But his defign failed of fuccefs; the inferior 
cities of Peloponnefus, roufed by the common danger* 
confederated for their mutual defence; and Athens, 
though adlually the ally of Sparta, vvas unwilling to 
abandon to the tyranny of that republic her more an¬ 
cient and faithful allies, the Arcadians and Meffenians. 
Yet while the politics of the Peloponnefus formed a 
fyftem apart, the facred war fliook the centre of.Greece, 
and the affairs of Thrace began to occupy the mind of 
Philip and the Athenians. Cotys, vvlio long reigned in 
Thrace, was dead ; his fons, Kerfobleptes, Berifades* 
and Amadoens, were all diffatisfied with the partition 
of his dominions. W^hile their hoftilities againfl: each 
other exhibited a cruel picture of fraternal difeord, the 
prizes tor which they contended were fucceffively car¬ 
ried off by ^hilip. The encroachments of that prince 
at length engaged Kerfobleptes, the moft powerful of 
the co-heirs, to cede the Thracian Clierfonefus to the 
Athenians, who fent Chares with a numerous fleet to 
take poffelflon of that peninfula. The town of Seftos 
alone made refiftance. It was taken by ftorm, and 
treated with great feverity by Chares; while Philip be- 
fieged and took the far more important city of Methone 
in Pieria. In this fiege he loft an eye, a lofs which he 
is laid to have borne with impatience, as the circum- 
ftances attending it were alike difitonourable to his judg¬ 
ment and humanity. 
It appears extraordinary that the Thebans, after the 
defeat and death of Philomelus, fhould not have pur- 
fued their good fortune, without allowing the enemy 
time to recover ftrength. They probably imagined 
tliat the fatal exit of that daring chief would deter a 
fucceffor ; and that the Phocians would fue for peace, 
if not driven to defpair. Such indeed was the refolu¬ 
tion of the more refpeflable part of the Phocians. But 
the bold and needy, who compofed the mofl numerous 
defeription of that people, were bent on continuing the 
war. An aflTembly was convened, when Onomarchus 
flattered their hopes, and encouraged them to perfe- 
vere. His opinion prevailed ; he was named general; 
and his condudt foon proved, that he equalled his bro¬ 
ther in boldnefs and ambition, and furpaffed him in ac¬ 
tivity and enterprife. With the Delphic treafure he 
coined fuch a quantity of money as perhaps had never 
before circulated in Greece. The Phocian army was 
augmented; their allies were more heartily encou¬ 
raged; and even their enemies were not proof againfl 
the temptations of gold. By feafonable bribes, Ono¬ 
marchus diftrafted the councils of Thebes, and kept 
their arms inaflive. The neighbouring flates were per- 
fuaded to obferve a perfefl neutrality; while the Thef- 
falians, a people at all times noted for avarice and fraud, 
and of whofe country the proverb faid, “that it had 
never produced a bad horfe or an honeft man,” openly 
embraced thecaufe of Phocis. Thefe multiplied advan¬ 
tages were not fuffered to languifh in the hands of Ono¬ 
marchus : at the head of a numerous army he poured 
down on Locris and Doris, ravaged the country, took 
Thronium by ftorm, laid feveral cities under contribu¬ 
tion, pierced into Boeotia, and made himfelf mafter of 
Orchomenus. The Thebans affembled their forces to 
ftem the torrent. Onomarchus firft met with a repulfe 
before the walls of Cliaeronaea, and ventured not to re¬ 
new the engagement, having weakened his forces by 
leaving garnlons in the places which he had taken, as 
well as by fending a detachment of feven thoufand men, 
under his brother Phayllus, into Theffaly. 
In that country, the arms and intrigues of Philip 
caunteralled the gold of Onomarchus: with his ulual 
diligence he entered Theflaly, defeated Phayllus, be- 
fleged and took Pegafse, and drove the enemy towards 
thg 
